Real Madrid News
Real Madrid legend points to major midfield issue before Atletico clash: ‘Neither Valverde nor Tchouameni…’
The Madrid derby is rarely a game that follows the script, and Pedja Mijatovic believes that makes Sunday’s meeting between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid particularly difficult to assess.
Speaking on El Larguero, the former Real Madrid striker refused to make a strong prediction about the outcome while pointing to the fixture as an important test of where José Mourinho’s side currently stands.
“The derby is always a match where you can’t predict what might happen.”
Mijatovic added, “This match is like a general test of how far we can go.”
The former striker’s comments come as Real Madrid head into the derby in strong need of clarity, particularly over how their midfield functions against Atlético’s intensity.
Mijatovic still sees a creative gap in midfield
For Mijatovic, the issue is not just about individual quality, as he believes Real Madrid have yet to replace the specific creative influence they enjoyed for years through Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
The change in midfield has been significant, with Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga offering different strengths.
Jude Bellingham brings another attacking dimension, while Arda Guler has emerged as one of the squad’s most technically gifted players.
Even so, Mijatovic does not see any of them as the type of midfielder he believes Madrid are missing.
“After so many years watching Kroos and Modric, perhaps we’re looking for something similar in other players, and clearly they can’t provide it.
“I still lack a pure creative player, one who takes responsibility for making the whole team play.
“Neither Valverde, nor Tchouameni, nor Camavinga are these types of players.
“Guler has immense quality, but he plays further up the pitch, and Bellingham has a great knack for getting forward, but he’s neither Modric nor Kroos. I’m still missing this type of player,” he concluded.
One of the biggest positives for Real Madrid from the last season was the breakthrough of young midfielder Thiago Pitarch.
The 19-year-old La Fabrica prospect had been in the first-team dynamics since pre-season under Xabi Alonso, but finally got his senior debut under Alvaro Arbeloa at the turn of the year.
From that moment on, Pitarch did not look back at all, gaining prominence in the team and even starting important matches ahead of established players like Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos.
However, things have not gone as per plans for the teenager this season as he has yet to play a single minute of first-team football.
January loan no longer ruled out
As such, Diario AS now reports that Pitarch would consider leaving Real Madrid on loan during the January transfer window if his situation does not improve.
The teenage midfielder suffered an injury in pre-season which kept him sidelined for a few weeks, denying him an opportunity to start the season under Jose Mourinho.
By the time he returned, the Portuguese tactician had already identified his preferred hierarchy in midfield, with the likes of Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Aurelien Tchouameni and Camavinga firmly ahead in the pecking order.
A stark difference from his debut season
In his debut season, Pitarch ended with 16 first-team appearances for Real Madrid with two assists to his name.
In contrast, this term, the academy graduate has been called up to the matchday squad for five games by Mourinho this term, but has yet to play a single minute of football.
Given the situation, he used the international break to jump down to Castilla and play close to 250 minutes across three games, during which he also registered an assist.
The situation is far from ideal for a young talent who needs regular minutes to continue his development and build on his impressive breakthrough campaign.
As such, the possibility of a departure on loan in January could be considered, after Pitarch turned down offers in the summer to stay at Real Madrid.
A lot will depend on how things evolve in the next couple of months, but a temporary exit cannot be ruled out.
